This invention relates to apparatus for the dry cooling of coke and, more particularly, to an apparatus for the dry cooling of coke wherein a cooling gas is routed through a distributor in the bottom of a vertical cooling chamber and wherein the cooled coke is continuously withdrawn through the bottom of the chamber.
In the production of coke from coal, the coal is heated to elevated temperatures in the absence of air in a battery of coke ovens. On completion of the coking operation, the red hot coke is removed from the coke ovens and must be quickly cooled to prevent its burning when exposed to the oxygen in the atmosphere. One method of cooling the red hot coke is to quench the coke with a water spray. Another method, a dry method, involves the quenching of the coke by passing a cooling gas therethrough. One apparatus for the dry cooling of coke is described in German Pat. No. 1,173,870. The cooling chamber of this device is sized for receiving approximately four to six coke oven charges. The cooling chamber is subdivided into several cells and the bottom of each cell is provided with discharge openings through which the cooling gas passes upwardly through the coke contained in the cells. A separate gas supply is provided to each cell enabling the individual control of cooling gas to the cells. This permits uniform cooling of the coke across the cross-section of the cooling chamber.
The subdivision of the cooling chamber into several individual cells to achieve a uniform distribution of the cooling gas and cooling of the coke represents a considerable structural expense primarily because of the need for the partitions in the cooling chamber. In addition, the individual cells require separate openings for each cell to remove the cooled coke. This creates a considerable cross-sectional area across the bottom of the chamber and/or cells through which cooling gas cannot be admitted from below.